Monday, May 13, 2013

Exclusive: Andrew Leung Talks About IRON MAN 3 Concept Art

Blockbuster movies like Iron Man 3 are hard to make. From finding great actors, to finding great locations, it's all a challenge.

Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Pictures were planning to shoot
in Michigan due to the tax incentives, North Carolina
guaranteed a $20 million tax credit. So, the producers decided to shoot
the small town there instead.

One of the artists that helped to make the film work in that location, as well as many others is Andrew "Drew" Leung.

Drew is a professional concept artist who's worked on Hollywood films such as Real Steel, The Tree of Life (2011) and Sucker Punch (2011).

Find out what it was like working on Iron Man, why the 20-foot bunny was hard to make and the rest of the images after the jump and click to enlarge.

Q: How did you get involved in the production of Iron Man 3?
I was brought in to concept keyframes and sets for the art department. Working closely with Bill Brzeski (Production Designer) and Desma Murphy (Supervising Art Director) we were able to bang out of a lot of usable ideas in a short amount of time. My background in VFX and concept art helped give an idea what could be built with plywood and what could be done with pixels.

Q: What artwork did you contribute for the film?
A lot what I did was to show how an existing location could work to serve the story. I illustrated Rose Hill, a nearly ground up build of a small town that was used in the movie. I also concepted the destruction for Stark's mansion, the Miami dock scenes, and the Mandarin environments.

Q: Was there a favorite design you had from the film and what was it like seeing it come to life onscreen?

One of the funnier things I did for the film was a 20 foot stuffed bunny. Things that big don't hold their shape very well, and the engineering involved was hysterical. I also enjoyed doing different versions of the Mandarin's lair because of his psyche -- or lack of -- informed really the type of environment he would be in.

It was also great seeing a version of the Air Force One interior. I realized this may be closest I'll ever be to being on the real thing.

It's truly amazing seeing the film come together in the theater after all the VFX work is added. Often times when working on these projects I'm working without context. To see everything connect, particularly with all the hilarious dialogue, is a lot of fun when it works so well in a movie like Iron Man 3.

Q: What is it like working on an iconic superhero movie like Iron Man?
It was awesome! It was also different from any other film in that it had a lot of the key elements already sussed out. By this point in the series, you really have a good idea about who the characters are that you're working with and what type of things they would surround themselves with. From the "deconstructivist" look of the Stark House to all the collected/possibly stolen street art populating the Mandarin's hideout, it's a lot of fun working with these characters that have already been so well established.

Official SynopsisMarvel’s “Iron Man 3” pits
brash-but-brilliant industrialist Tony Stark/Iron Man against an enemy
whose reach knows no bounds. When Stark finds his personal world
destroyed at his enemy's hands, he embarks on a harrowing quest to find
those responsible. This journey, at every turn, will test his mettle.
With his back against the wall, Stark is left to survive by his own
devices, relying on his ingenuity and instincts to protect those
closest to him. As he fights his way back, Stark discovers the answer
to the question that has secretly haunted him: does the man make the
suit or does the suit make the man?

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce,
Rebecca Hall, Stephanie Szostak, James Badge Dale with Jon Favreau and
Ben Kingsley, Marvel’s “Iron Man 3” is directed by Shane Black from a
screenplay by Drew Pearce & Shane Black and is based on Marvel’s
iconic Super Hero Iron Man, who first appeared on the pages of “Tales
of Suspense” (#39) in 1963 and had his solo comic book debut with “The
Invincible Iron Man” (#1) in May of 1968.

What is Film Sketchr?

This blog is about the often unseen world of concept design and storyboarding in science-fiction films and television. These artists work to bring the vision of the writer and director to life. My hope is you'll learn a little bit more about them. If you're an artist I hope you find inspiration from the talented artists featured.

Widget #2

Text Widget

The images featured are the property of the respective artists and companies. They are shown to feature and demonstrate the artistic talents of the artists. I'm not affiliated in any way. No implication of copyright is implied in their use.